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review for Martin on AllMovie

Martin (1978)
by Robert Firsching review

Arguably the best of George A. Romero's non-"Living Dead" horror films, this stylish chiller concerns a young man (John Amplas) who may or may not be a vampire. After causing a scandal for his family, he is sent to live with his Nosferatu-obsessed uncle (Lincoln Maazel) and begins killing again. Imaginative murder sequences and skillful effects by gore-master Tom Savini will keep bloodhounds happy, while it will have a broader appeal to film buffs for its haunting beauty and mythical resonance, as well as an atmospheric depiction of working-class immigrants in Pittsburgh. Romero alternates dingy color with expressionistic black and white to startling effect, and the amateur cast is outstanding -- particularly Maazel as the dictatorial and obsessive Tati Cuda. Vampire movies don't get much better than this. Trivia buffs should note that co-star Al Levitsky had a brief career in adult films like Honeymoon Haven and Sweet Throat.